Cotton Candy
by Midori Konbu
Summary: Final Chapter 8 is up! Since Kenshin departed for his government mission once again, Kaoru tried to find an outlet to vent her disappointment at him. She found...Cotton Candy! ...And fell in love with it..AU, strictly AK.
1. Chapter 1

COTTON CANDY 1 

**Summary: **

Since Kenshin departed for his government mission, Kaoru tried to find an outlet to vent her disappointment at him. She found...Cotton Candy! ...And fell in love with it. Aoshi Shinomori, the green tea drinker, trench-coat wearer, Kodachi bearer and a totally reformed ice block was in Tokyo. Seemingly, since Misao grew out of her infatuation toward him, and went out with Seta, Aoshi doesn't want to drink green tea anymore, as it reminds him of Misao and her daily tea delivery at the temple. He's looking to find something to distract him from the memory of Misao, and here Kamiya showed up, offering him her cotton candy! O, the benefit of a cotton candy!

Kaoru was devastated, truly devastated.

So he left again this time. The 'atonement' burden on his shoulders were weighing her down these couple of months, and when they last spoke about the new government's secret mission, she had an odd feeling that he would get involved.

So, her prediction was true all along. This morning, she woke up to find his room slightly ajar, neat as usual, with a note propped up next to the vase on the table.

The neatly written letter in her hand was scrunched up into a little ball as she screamed out in fury. She didn't even have the desire to read it.

"Baka-no Kenshin!", and the letter was promptly thrown into the nearest rubbish bin.

The dojo was shaken quite a bit due to her shouting.

She didn't care anymore. If he doesn't realize that she has some feeling toward him up to now, then it's not worth her time to mop around and wait for him. Life goes on.

Hey, life's tough..but it's not like Kamiya Kaoru could not handle it.

So she finally made up her mind, pulled up her hair in a pony tail and went for a long, hot bath. Hopefully this bath will keep her sanity intact.

She did feel a lot fresher after the bath that got her skin turned rather prunish, a change of pastel-coloured yukata, and a breakfast, eventhough she kind of burnt the egg. If only Kenshin was here..

_Damn….forget him! Do not mention his name anymore!_ She washed her dishes and went out, only to come face to face with a rack of freshly washed laundry on the backyard. _My goodness…even he didn't neglect my laundry…he only neglected me!_ She grumbled_. Ignore it, ignore it!_ Walking past it, she decided to go to town to grab a few supplies. At this time of day, Kamiya's residence is pretty quiet as Yahiko has gone off to help out at Akabeko. Now his presence there is quite highly demanded as Akabeko's business seems to be doing very well.

_There should be something I could do, something…to help me get rid of this dark cloud of gloominess!_ She thought in distress. Staying home at the moment doesn't seem to be too wise of an idea as every house chore pretty much reminds her of her beloved Rurouni. _Damn, now he's rurouni-ing again…_

She swiftly walked out, locked the gate and tried to think about what to buy in town.

It seems that she let her mind wandered off too much that when she realized it, she had taken a wrong turn at some point in time, and found herself in a less familiar surroundings. _Where is this_, she pondered inwardly.

The district seems to be bustling with activities and people, as she tried to figure where she was. Until she spotted a big sign that flashed "Welcome to Gaikokujin District"

_Huh? is there such thing?_ The literal meaning of the word finally dawned on her. She looked around her and noticed that many of these people are foreigners. She twitched her eyebrows in deep concentration while walking to one side of the road. People around her seem to be busy doing their own business and didn't notice a slightly lost Japanese girl in their midst. Her thinking process was suddenly cut off by a loud shout

"Welcome, Welcome to the Sweet Treats! Ladies and gents, boys and girls, try the very tempting sweets that will leave you wanting more!", a middle-aged man was cheerfully shouting, promoting his shop, which apparently, was the shop next to the wall where Kaoru was standing. She was busy contemplating of what to do next.

"Sweets are great to help rid of stress too!", the vendor said, still in his cheery voice.

_For a gaijin, he sure could speak Japanese very fluently_, was Kaoru's first impression. But when he said his last sentence, she promptly turned her head to look at him.

_Relieve stress he said?_

The sweet vendor noticed the beautiful Japanese girl who leaned against the wall nearby. He turned around when he felt a pair of eyes intently watching him. He smiled at her.

Kaoru blushed. _Ah, it was rude for me to stare….but…_

"Nn…is that true?", she said meekly.

"What is true, child?" He asked, trying to figure out what she meant.

"Well….you said..it could get rid of stress?", she repeated his words, now she was getting a bit fidgety. She always does that when she meets new people.

He smiled in understanding. That was why she stood there, with a slumped shoulders and a confused expression imprinted on her pretty face.

"I dare say it's true….why don't you come in and see for yourself?", he offered, with one open palm of his hand directed to his shop.

Kaoru just mumbled incoherently and looked down on the gravel sidewalk, weighing her decision. _It mightjust bea scam.._

She was reluctant, he could see that, so he just smiled once again. Soon he was promoting his shop once more, shouting to the mass of people walking about.

_What am I trying to do? Get rid of stress? Sweets? Gee…it sounds so far-fetched…_She thought…._But, ah, what is there to lose?_ She reasoned against her initial reluctance. With that, she looked up and made the last five steps to enter the gaijin's shop.

The vendor nodded as she entered.

She was greeted with a sight she's never seen before. The humble little shop only portrayed very little of what's actually inside. The sight before her fascinated her so much. There were braids made of jellies and sugared candies hanging on the wall, countless of western confectionery called 'lollipop', _some strange name_, Kaoru thought, a beautiful display of something that Megumi is fond of, called 'chocolate' and 'truffles' in an assortment of shapes and flavours, sugared almonds, huge coloured swirl of hard candies, little pebbles called 'mints', some fruit-shaped jellies…and so on…

Kaoru's untrained eyes roamed around and took all the sight in with glee. She's never been this excited for a long time. She breathed in,

_Hmmm…this shop smells very nice! What is this smell?_

In the middle of the chocolate display, there was a lady in her forties, who looked at the passing customers with a smile on her face. _She must be the vendor's wife,_ Kaoru thought. Hesitantly at first, she walked to her.

"Excuse me….this fragrant smell..what is it?", Kaoru asked rather sheepishly.

The lady's smile was not belittling her. "It's a mixture of strawberry, vanilla, cinammon, chocolate and other fruits…we have so many varieties of sweets here, I can't possibly name each one…", she said softly.

"Ah…I see…very nice smell", Kaoru admitted openly.

She was about to excuse herself to wander off and look for other things, when her eyes spotted something behind the lady. She halted her step completely.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: uh, oh.. I forgot the disclaimer in the previous chapter...

Well...this is just an A/K fic,and perhaps some other minor pairings too...let me know what you think...still plenty of possibilities...

Oh, and thank you to Twilight Elf-Maiden, Ardenilia and Hitoezakura for reviewing and giving me that useful tip.

Disclaimer: RK isn't mine...well, Jane & Jim are though..heheh

**Chapter II**

-----------------

The lady was giving her a quizzical look, when she turned around in the direction of Kaoru's eyes and saw what the girl sees.

She laughed a soft, elegant laugh.

"What is that?", Kaoru pointed out, with her deep sea blue orbs shining in her amazement.

"This is what we called Cotton candy", the woman explained. "Well, the machine that you see here spins the cotton-like threads into one of these", she gestured to the stand next to the machine, embedded with so many cotton candy onbamboo sticks, they jutted out, some pink, some white, blue, and yellow in colour. '_A very, very pretty sight to behold indeed',_ unknowingly, Kaoru smiled her childish smile.

"Wow…those are really cute!", she referred to those blobs of colourful spun clouds with awe.

The sweet vendor came back into the store and walked up to his wife, and squeezed her shoulders lovingly.

Kaoru was blushing again. These people..they are so freely showing their affection, she pondered, feeling a little bit envious. If only I have…

"So, how do you find it, little lady?", the vendor inquiried.

Kaoru woke up from her stupor. "Ah..oh, it is great, yeah, this is such a great place…and smells really nice too"

The lady turned to her husband, her lips tilted up in a little smile.

"I believe this lady would love to try our cotton candy, she's fascinated by it, so it seems", she said to him.

The vendor grinned at her wife, and then at Kaoru. Swiftly he took a big step towards those colourful blobs of 'cotton' and pick one, a pink one, and gave it to Kaoru.

"Have a try at this", he warmly offered.

Kaoru was speechless in return.

"Ah, I..I….it's allright…I was just looking…", she tried to reason.

"Please…we insist.." he was being adamant about it.

"Perhaps then if you like it…you'll be getting back for more", he winked and his wife chuckled softly.

With a rosy coloured blush that suffused her cheeks, she accepted the gift and bowed her thanks as politely as she could.

"I wasn't wrong when I gave you the pink one…it suits you very well", he added, smiling, referring to her pinkened cheeks. Kaoru gasped in embarassment as she touched her rosy cheek in an attempt to cover them up.

"Cut it out, will you Jim", the lady said, saving poor Kaoru from further embarassment. "Don't mind my husband, child, he just can't be helped", she said, her eyes laughing with mischief. Her husband jus grinned in reply.

"Thank you for this, Sir, and madam…"

"Jane…call me Jane, and my husband here is Jim" she offered.

"And what is your name, child?"

"I'm Kamiya Kaoru, you can call me Kaoru…nn…Jane", she replied, awkwardly.

"Great Kaoru…we hope to see you here again soon!", he said as Kaoru was about to take her leave.

She nodded her thanks and smiled at the couple, bringing her pink cotton candy out with her. _'What a nice, compatible couple'._

She managed to ask a couple of people a way out of the district, and she hurriedly made her way to the town to get some groceries.

Some people looked at her strangely as she brought with her a rather big piece of spun cotton candy, but she ignored them all.

As she got home, she can't wait to have a taste of the pink, cute-looking thing that was wrapped in a clear plastic covering. She eagerly opened the wrapping, and pinched a bit of the 'cotton' with her fingers. It feels really soft and smooth..

She brought that little pinch to her mouth, smelling it, then ate it, feeling the melt-in-the-mouth sensation ran through her. "Mmmm….sweet! It tastes like..heaven!"

Closing her eyes, she was smiling as she tucked in another pinch into her mouth, savouring the subtle, rather milky flavour. '_This is very nice!'_

She ate about half ot it then slipped it back into the plastic wrapper.

_'This is for dessert'_…shethought happily.

She proceeded to cook dinner soon after.

----------------

Aoshi was sitting down in his meditative position, but his mind wandered off elsewhere. It was supposed to be purifying, cleaning his mind against all thoughts, and he was meant to contemplate on his life.

But this intrusion keeps coming.

Last week, he came back to Aoiya feeling slightly curious as why Misao was not there to deliver his usual green tea. He didn't reveal his curiousity though, and he didn't need to..for when he came entering Aoiya, a shrilly, ecstatic voice of who-else-but Okina was heard clearly.

"So….My Misao-chan has started dating already! Oh, you're growing Misao…Ah….I'm getting older quite quickly these days", he said in a complaining tone, but there was unmistakably an underlying fervor beneath it.

"Jiya….stop it!" Misao was heard groaning aloud and trying to cover her embarassment.

Aoshi froze on his track. '_What?'_ He felt a stab of jealousy right through him.

_'Hmm..and I thought I wasn't capable of feeling anything anymore'.._he pondered.

He took a deep breath as if to ready himself for what's to come.

"Okina, Misao..", he greeted them in his usual cool demeanor.

So, do you expect him to change his attitude now? It might cause heart attack to these 'Aoiyans'.

Both of them turned their heads to Aoshi in surprise.

Misao's face blanched considerably.

Okina noticed this and decided to make fun of her in front of her Aoshi-sama.

"So…heard the latest gossip yet, Aoshi?"

"I'm not into those things, Okina.." he cut him off right away, suddenly his chest felt constricted.

"Well…not usually, but now you've got to hear it…ne, Misao…our Misao's finally grown up and she is dating someone….hmm, Misao-chan?", he smirked annoyingly and nudge her shoulder.  
"So who's that someone special, you better tell your guardian here", Okina pointed out.

Misao yelped and beat him out of mortification.

Aoshi pondered, 'S_o that is who I am, a guardian, a mere guardian to her'…_

Misao huffed and puffed, feeling a little bit of satisfaction from seeing the quadriple bumps on Okina's head.

"Don't mind him, Aoshi-sama"

_She still calls me Aoshi-sama…_

"Is it true, Misao?" he heard himself ask.

He never knew it would be quite nerve-wrecking to ask her such question and wait for her to answer.

She was hesitant. Promptly looking down to hide her heat-infused cheeks, she kept quiet.

It was only less than a minute, but for Aoshi, it felt like three whole hours of silence. He could only wait.

"Ah…er…yeah…yah, it's true Aoshi-sama", she softly mumbled.

He had to restrain his ears to really listen to her. His heart suddenly stopped breathing as he swallowed, making sure that his feeling was still hidden beneath his perfected mask of indifference.

"Aa…sou ka..", was all he said. He nodded as he turned around and ascended the stairs to his room.

Okina observed the whole thing with a keen eye. '_Hmmm..so he does have some feeling'…_

Misao was letting out a sad smile. '_He never really cared anyway'_…She snuggled closer to her Jiya for comfort. "Why does he have to be so cold and uncaring, Jiya?", rhetorically she asked.

Okina just patted her hair and sighed. '_I don't know, Misao….I really don't know'.._

A week has passed. Misao no longer came to bring him his tea. Now, Okon or Omasu would do it. That is why he often returned earlier. He kind of missed her usual cheerful banters, wide grins and childish antics. _Childish? _Yes, she might be childish, but she is no child…'G_et real, Shinomori,…she has matured into one beautiful lady'_. He pondered inwardly. A long braided hair, an oval-shaped face, a healthily glowing tanned skin, beautiful emerald eyes, a distinctive Misao smile, all of her features suddenly flooding his mind.

_'But she's not yours to have…She belongs to someone else'…_

He stood up, suddenly feeling regretful for not asking who she's going out with.

_'What a foolish question it would be'_…he shook his head, his conscience is performing really poorly these days..

With a sigh, he walked home.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Plenty of Aoshi's POV still…

Disclaimer: mockingin asomber- I-don't-give-a-damn-about-it voice a'laAoshi..."I don't own it"

* * *

**Chapter III**

Okina greeted him at the door. "Aoshi, I want to have a word with you", he calmly stated. Aoshi just nodded. He sort of knew what Okina was going to say anyway..but…

They walked in into the Okashira's office. Misao was still the Okashira, for he decided he wasn't suitable for that position anymore and opted to assist Misao instead.

Misao wasn't there, he has guessed as much. '_Where would she be?_' He can't help but throwing that question inwardly.

Okina cleared his throat, capturing his attention back to reality. "Aoshi..I know that our Misao has grown and turned into a beautiful lady that she is now….and she is eighteen this year. Which means, she would need to be engaged and married soon…Well,..it's all written in this letter..", Okina offered a pristine white envelope with a slight crease on the sides.

Aoshi was rather surprised at this. Well…he knew the theory all along, it was embedded somewhere deep in his mind, he recalled…that, being an Okashira, they have their own strict rules and regulations, so to speak, and a female Okashira such as Misao, eventhough was very, very rare…was not eliminated from these rules..To the contrary, one of the limitation of it was that the position commanded the female Okashira to be having at least a guardian, then a husband when she comes of age. This is the exact predicament that Misao was in for, especially since she was a mere seventeen-year old when she was took over the position of Oniwabanshuu no Okashira.

_Correction…._

_'She was rather forced to come to that decision'_..because..

_'Because of his previously mad state of mind'_. His conscience threw something akin to a punch to his gut. '_Gee..thanks for the friendly reminder'…_he cursed inwardly.

With a renewed determination to read what Makimachi-san has to say in his will, he pried open the letter it and quietly read it.

He looked up to Okina as he finished reading, waiting to hear what he has to say.

"Now I always thought that somehow, she'd end up with you by her side…I don't know since when I had that notion in my mind, you being her outmost faithful guardian of all…but apparently"….. he halted briefly.

"…She is going out with someone else now, and she looks very happy…

don't get mistaken here, but I know that you have some feeling towards her...

… If only you'd show her that, and not leave her guessing and blindly reaching out in the dark…." He finished his sentence with somewhat a wistful tone.

He sighed as the younger man was still waiting calmly, refusing to say anything at all.

"All I was meant to say was…if you have second thought…..you still have your last chance, to put it plainly…..otherwise…as her second guardian, next to myself…I would need your approval for her engagement…", Okina said hesitantly.

Aoshi felt his stomach churned as this tender issue was brought up, and was feeling rather confused at this. He took a breath, one of his hands came up to stroke his short black bangs.

"And why does this seem so sudden, the engagement of Misao, I mean?", he asked, as line by line of the well-versed regulation of Oniwaban Okashira that he learned when he was a wee teenager, was replaying itself in his head.

He shrugged, "Well, she just found her ideal partner or so it seems, and she looks quite happy, and when you read that letter I gave you, it was her father's will for her to be married before she turns twenty".

He closed his eyes.

Ah Misao….

"I know that we're well into the new Meiji era…", Okina's voice filled in the silence.

Aoshi swiftly added, "In that case, shall we let her decide on her own then?" his expression still betrayed nothing.

Okina gave a wry smile "Yes, we would do that…but, the purpose of me telling you all this today is for you to think about it…Really, think about it Aoshi! Do you approve of her going out with Soujiro? If not…", he left it at that for him to finish, deiiberately spilling out the name.

Soujiro….Soujiro…_where did he hear that before_? He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly in concentration.

"You know…Seta Soujiro", as if reading his mind, Okina supplied.

Aoshi's eyes went wide for two seconds. _Misao? going out with Shishio's ex-Juppongatana member?_

Okina marvelled at the sliver of surprised expression on Aoshi's face. '_That's the most he's ever shown in a long time"…._

"Are you serious?", he asked.

Okina scoffed. "Yeah…very serious", he said uncharacteristically.

He sighed again inwardly. This is…confusing.

"Well, if Misao thinks…", he started.

"Stop it right there, Aoshi Shinomori. Think before you say anything. I have extended an invitation to the young man to have dinner with us tonight, and this is your chance to observe. Misao was a nervous wreck when I suggested this idea, so don't make her anymore uncomfortable", he warned slightly.

"…"

"Not that she knew anything about this engagement and marriage plan", he added subtly.

"Think about it", Okina walked out of the office, emphasizing his last word as he stroked his white-grayish beard.

* * *

Aoshi waited in silence. Waiting for what exactly, he didn't know. He was in the quiet confines of his room. He lied on his futon, contemplating on his conversation with Okina. '_How am I to think, when I don't know what exactly is my feeling toward Misao'…_he let out a deep breath. One of his arms came up to cover his eyes. 

The clock on his room sounded loud and clear. It is 6.00 o'clock. In an hour time, Soujiro, Misao and the rest of the guys will have the dinner at Aoiya. Even now, he doesn't know what his response will be.

_Will he approve of their relationship, will he feel jealous at seeing them? Will he relent and let her go?_ Hundreds of possible outcomes flashed through his mind. None of them seemed to appease him though.

He went downstairs nevertheless, just to get ready.

It was 6.50 when he finished taking his bath, changed and descended the stairs once again to enter the dining room. He could hear all sorts of noise, '_They're all here already_'.. he could sense a joyful atmosphere surrounded him. Readying himself, he entered the room.

The room temporarily quietened with his entrance._ 'I do seem to give off that effect, apparently'_, he smiled grimly. He looked around..

….and…Look! what a sight it was to behold! He couldn't tear his gaze when it met the petite figure he has come to know all his life.

Misao was looking every bit like a feminine woman. It was obviously the side of her that she always denied since childhood, but tonight, for some reasons, she turned out looking outstandingly beautiful in dark crimson kimono with gold sakura flowers delicately adorning her kimono. A matching obi and hair accessories were on display, and her hair was let down, beautifully cascading down her back. She clearly defined the term 'beauty', as far as Aoshi's concerned…'._and as far as her current boyfriend is concerned'_ his wicked conscience just had to add that little bit at the end. Aoshi had to swallow a lump that appeared from nowhere.

He nodded curtly as he took his seat across Misao…and Soujiro, he noted grimly. He was unsure why, but his hand itches to wring his neck. '_Is this jealousy_? _Or part thereof_?' He asked himself…no answer.

As if on cue, Okina, the host of the event, was suddenly heard, "Well, minna-san, I would like to welcome you all to Aoiya's…uh, er…dinner celebration!", he finished lamely with a lopsided grin on his face. Everyone around the table laughed, Misao giggled as she leaned a little bit closer to Soujiro.

Aoshi promptly turned his head elsewhere. His face devoid of emotion.

_'Dinner was a pure torture'_, he decided. 'Oh, a_t least he wasexcellent at hidinghis emotions'._He was meant to observe how Soujiro acted, to basically observe his non-verbal communication around the other Aoiyans, but he was hindered, because he just couldn't be very objective about all ot that. He was mostly quiet, well, as he always was..but he spent extra energy and effort, all of his willpower actually, not that he'd admit it..'_oh darn, he just did'_… to stand still and be content at just watching and nothing else. Okina would throw a meaningful look at him every once in a while too…to complete his utter dismay.

He sighed. '_He hated it, he hated him_…._he would never approve'_………

His mind flew back to Misao's face. It never showed that much radiance, emanated that much joy, she never smiled as much as tonight…in a long time.

It was all because of him.

It is not fair if he snatches that true happiness once again from her……

all because of his selfishness….

He kept turning in his sleep, _not that he could sleep in the first place_, as he was thinking.. a lot…and he came to a decision in the cool dawn of the next morning. He closed his eyes in relief and slept peacefully then.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you for great reviews…Hope you like this chap..uh, can I have some more reviews:) hehehe..

Disclaimer: Still the same as in last chapter, the chapter before that, and the chapter before that…you get what I mean….

* * *

**COTTON CANDY 4**

* * *

Kaoru is loving every bit of it! It was the second week, and everyday she came back to "Sweet Treats", to buy nothing but a stick or two of the sweet cotton-candy. She came to know the owners quite well by now, and Jim and Jane are a very compatible couple.

_Oh, hasn't she said that before? _

**Flashback **

Yahiko came barging in as usual as he shouted, "Kaoru…where's Kenshin?"

For once he actually used her name, not an insulting 'busu' he usually threw at her. "Gone…off to a mission", she replied calmly, as she tasted the miso. She winced. _Uh, what does it take to make a good miso?_

Then, she wondered where that particular calmness came from.

"Nani?" he shouted, obviously upset.

"You heard me"..she said..turning around to wash the soup ladle in the sink.

"And…and you let him do that?" his voice went a notch higher, breaking in the process.

Kaoru supressed a giggle, for a teenage boy that is undergoing a voice change, Yahiko sounded very, very funny.

Yahiko was dumb-founded. "Kaoru, you okay?", he carefully asked.

"Yeah, Yahiko, I am fine…", she answered, biting her tongue for lashing a teasing remark at him. It just wont be fair, insulting the growing, and slightly more sensitive Yahiko now. So she ignored the urge to do so, as she took some rice off the pot. '_Ugh…burnt it a bit'…_she grimaced at the brown bits at the bottom.

Yahiko was astounded that Kaoru reacted that way. He was so confused that he went out of the house shortly after. "Nn…I'm going off for a while..", he called off to his Sensei.

"Sure, be careful okay, get back for dinner..", she answered.

'_It was amazing!_' She thought happily! Never once that day she thought of Kenshin. So was the next day. She made the daily trip to the Gaikokujin District to buy her daily supply of medicine, …wrapped in the form of a piece of cotton candy.

Life was all good.

Yahiko finally could deal with Kenshin's government mission, as he coincidentally found out about the letter that Kaoru threw out in the bin. He never said anything anymore, and just acted as usual. _Perhaps Busu doesn't want to think about_ _him anymore…baka no Kenshin…at least he should treat her with some respect,_ he frowned inwardly, vowing to kick that redhead's ass when he return someday. For the time being, he just has to tag along with Kaoru's normal demeanor.

But Yahiko was curious as how Kaoru keeps her sanity, knowing that the last time Kenshin did the same thing, well, almost,..she cried her eyes out and looked all puffy everyday. _Naah…it's not my business_…he chided.

Unknowingly, Kaoru happily chewed on the pale yellow cotton candy that afternoon. Actually, she was quite ecstatic as the owners of Sweet Treats had just offered her to work there. Which means…more income! She was so happy that she hugged the slightly plump figure of Jane. She was embarassed when she thought of that. '_So childish'…_she shook her head. Anyway, she agreed to it, and she would start on her new job from next week on.

Great! This way, she could preserve her grandfather's paintings in her storeroom, and even buy them back, perhaps, when she receives her pay. She was always reluctant to part with those beautiful paintings, but due to some circumstances, such as with Kenshin and Sano and Yahiko freeloading at her place, she had to.

She grinned. Sano has gone since last year to try his luck at earning some money, or so he said, in the Mongolian Highlands. '_Hmph'_… she smirked. He's _most probably doing some crazy stuffs down the mountains of Mongolia somewhere instead …since Tae decided to charge him 5 percent monthly interest on his debt_. She chuckled, imagining how huge his Akabeko's debt has become.

Oh, and.. Yahiko's not exactly freeloading. He's working now, and they still trained twice to three times a week. Life's getting a little bit better financially, she thought. '_How about Kenshin? How is he now?Where is he?'_ She frowned at that thought. She cross-checked her feelings once again.

A frown marred her pretty features.

Eh? This is strange…there was no distinct longing feeling or desire to see that red-haired rurouni so much…_Hmm…what does this mean?_

Aoshi walked to see Okina in his study. He was looking serious at the paperworks in front of him.

'_Hmm…what a change'…_

He came in very quietly so as not to make his presence known right away. He got closer and took a peek at Okina's paperworks.

Okina was too deep in concentration that he didn't even sense Aoshi's ki as he entered. When he did, he gasped as his hands tried to cover up, snatching ….his newest Geisha magazine of Kyoto, and brought it to his lap.

Aoshi's serious expression faltered. his lips tilted upward in a little smile as he let out a little chuckle.

Okina was so taken aback that he left the preposterous magazine out in the open, actually falling down on the floor.

'_Aoshi….smiling? CHUCKLING even?'_

'_Now that is new! He never smiled since what…since he turned 8?'_

'_If only he knew it would make the younger man smiled as such, he'd bring in those magazines in sooner…' he smirked lecherously. _

He quickly snapped back to reality. "Hm…do you need anything Aoshi?" he attempted a serious tone.

Aoshi felt there was something that burst within him. He laughed out loud.

Misao was on the way downstairs to get some drink as she heard something quite unfamiliar-sounding, coming from the direction of Okina's office. Something that sounded awfully akin to a deep laughter…."Jiya's having a guest?", she guessed, suddenly curious. _Not likely during this time of the day…_

Before she could stop herself, her feet brought her to Okina's office.

Her eyes went huge and she gasped, belatedly covering her gasp with both of her hands as what she saw was definitely out of the ordinary.

_Aoshi-sama…..laughing..?_

He looks magnificent like this, with the corners of his eyes crinkling ever so slightly, the pearly whites of his teeth were displayed for all to see…that face she loved the most for the last seventeen years of her life was laughing freely today..finally…

The laughter ceased soon after Misao peeked in on the entrance. He turned to Misao, gave a heart-wrenching smile at her, then turned to face Okina.

"I've made my decision", he somberly said, as if he wasn't laughing out loud just then.

Okina nodded. Now he _is _serious.

Misao suddenly felt like an intruder. But she couldn't just go away like that, not after Aoshi-sama just flashed her a genuine smile as beautiful as that. Both of her feet were rooted on her spot, when Okina asked her to go off.

Aoshi halted her move. He said to Okina "That's all right, Okina…she has every right to know", and he came to her, putting his arms on her shoulder and manouvered her inside the study room. Misao held her breath all the way. She was too surprised, she was amazed by the fact that she's still standing after all.

Okina kept a carefully neutral countenance, and looked at the youngsters in front of him.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: whee...next chapter...hopefully you guys enjoy it...either way, pls. leave me a word or two! thank you! oh yeah...apologies for typos and spacing probs...I really did try to fix them..but they always escape my watchful eyes from some reasons...:)

Disclaimer: I just hope Nobuhiro Watsuki don't mind if Kaoru's teeth suffer from cavities..eeyuw...I'm joking!

* * *

** CHAPTER V**

* * *

"So, Kaoru-chan, here's how to make it…." Jane was explaining how to make some Western cooking, and to her own amazement, she could follow Jane's instruction. There must be something wrong with Japanese cooking, she thought inwardly. '_I can't cook miso soup, for goodness' sake!' _

"Kaoru-chan, are you listening?", she asked, waving her hand in front of Kaoru. She just smiled "I'm sorry Jane, I just spaced out.."

They have been doing some simple cooking lesson after each shift has ended, as Kaoru seemed so interested in Western cookery, almost as much as in Western confectionery.

Jane grinned at her, "Now perhaps you could show me a thing or two about Japanese cooking", she cooed. This was exactly the kind of question that Kaoru dreaded. She was pondering how to answer that…_'Should I lie?'_

She has to be honest.

Truly, being honest is painful at times.

"Er….Jane…I can't cook even a simple miso soup…", she admitted shamefully.

Jane smiled at her. "Really….? Japanese cooking is that difficult?" she asked out of genuine interest, not a mocking one.

"nn…for me..yeah", Kaoru gave her one of her silly-looking smiles that got Jane laughing so hard.

"Oh, Kaoru-chan, you are so very amusing, child!", she wiped tears off the corner of her eyes. Kaoru just blushed.

"O well, you will learn quickly…don't worry too much…now you're able to make some poached fish, steamed vegetables and cream sauce….last week we made some grilled beef with potato pudding…remember? That should set you off..."

Kaoru looked hopeful "I really do hope so, Jane", she said, while her hands began to do some cleaning up of the cooking utensils they were using earlier.

* * *

Kyoto - At the Aoiya.. 

Aoshi cleared his throat.

"I'd like to give my approval over it, Okina….and Misao could very well go on with her current relationship", he said calmly.

Okina was flabbergasted. To think that he could figure Aoshi out…_he certainly was unpredictable._

Misao turned her head as if in a trance "Huh?…..Aoshi-sama?", her eyes made enquiry. Aoshi didn't say anything, he just looked straight to Okina, meeting his eyes.

Okina slowly nodded. " Very well, Aoshi. Misao, now that we have it out in the open, here's your father last will", he offered the same envelope he gave to Aoshi earlier to her. Her hands shakily opened the folded paper and read.

…**_.Makimachi Misao to be engaged when she is of age, and married before she turns twenty years old…._**

…**_the potential husband would be decided under the consent of Kashiwazaki Nenji…and Shinomori Aoshi……_**

She looked at Okina, then at Aoshi. She looked quite scared and the expression was clearly written all over her face.

"A…Aoshi-sama….I….", she wanted to say that she is scared, but was unable to. Being the Okashira that she was…should she be scared?

Aoshi gave her a small reassuring smile before he brought her to a warm hug, his large hand stroked her long tresses.

Misao was shocked. She has never gotten a hug since she turned six years old..and that was the time when her Aoshi-sama went off without as much bidding her goodbye. This is what she has been longing for...some affection, not only from Jiya...but from the other most important person in her life. She held his shirt tightly and, unaware of her mixed up emotions, tears started flowing from those expressive emerald eyes.

She cried out then, sobbing uncontrollably in his embrace and Aoshi provided her with some semblance of comfort as best as a man who never showed affection for more than ten years could.

Life certainly ain't easy...

He has realized one thing since he saw the interaction between Misao and Soujiro last time, and that was love. There is such thing called love. He couldn't quite pinpoint how he managed to say it was love, for he was never quite in love himself….but yes, he could perhaps say that he has loved Misao dearly….even only as an adoptive guardian, he'd love her as much as he's capable of giving his love toward her…

Okina watched them, hiding his disappointment under his smile. _He could only be as close as brother to her_….he remarked as he saw for himself how Aoshi treated Misao like a very dear little sister to him_. He has made up his mind…_The older man stroked his beard once again, his Geisha magazine totally abandoned for another long while.

After the emotional exchange, with Misao finally accepting her current situation and with the consent of her two guardians, Soujiro was once again invited, this time personally, just to meet Okina and Aoshi. After obtaining the fact that the younger man was actually twenty five years old of age then, Okina almost fell off the chair…oh…looks could be really deceiving…

When Okina voiced it out, Misao giggled, and Aoshi smiled in amusement. Soujiro only grinned.

The whole ordeal didn't take very long as he happily obliged, agreeing to Okina's and Aoshi's terms... Misao pouted, feeling like she was being sold off rather like a merchandise, but Soujiro's soothing words made sure that she was one happy cookie soon after. Okina was smirking as he felt really, really proud that his Misao-chan was actually growing up before his very eyes.

Aoshi looked at them with an inscrutable expression on his face. Since that fateful day when he first burst into laughter at seeing Okina with his latest edition of Geisha of Kyoto, he seemed to be sporting more varied expressions on his face. Now, feeling slightly envious (if that was at all possible)…he wondered if he could ever get that kind of happiness.

* * *

At the decision of their engagement date in the following year, Aoshi sighed in relief. It was as if a burden was set free, his shoulder felt a bit lighter, albeit he was quite sad looking at Misao less and less daily. For his whole life, Misao was always around like a plague..well…not a plague…he would never call her a plague…for she's always placed in a special position in his heart, so close yet so far, and now belongs to someone else…someone more deserving and one who loves her so much… 

He sighed….

A couple of weeks have gone by when Okina approached him one evening. The two of them leisurely walked in the Aoiya's hallways…"So, what do you plan to do, Aoshi? Now that everything has settled in its place a bit", he asked.

"…."

"I'm not sure Okina….but perhaps………..I need a vacation", he voiced it out quietly, then was rather surprised at his own revelation. He was never one to tell others about his plans, even if it was Okina who asked. _'What has happened to me?'_

Okina smiled at his reluctance. Soujiro being one of the ex-Juppongatana presents a whole new meaning to the term 'suspicious', after everything he had done, Aoshi can't help but be suspicious about in the beginning…

And seemingly the once stoic guy is getting tired of it…

"That is quite a good decision….Where would you think of going?"

"..." another minutes of silence followed.

"I don't know just yet…maybe I'll travel out of Kyoto for a while"...he pondered.

Okina stroked his beard. "Hmm….good..just let me know about it..if you're to visit Tokyo, I'll get you to bring something for the people in Kamiya Dojo", he said.

_'Huh? What had prompted him to even mention Tokyo?_', Aoshi wondered...

_Well...that doesn't seem like a bad idea though...perhaps he could consult Battousai for some tips on rurouni-ing too..._

* * *

Oi, Busu, are you working again this afternoon? Yahiko asked 

Kaoru had a bit of time, exactly five minutes to run to him and smack his head with a bokken before she replied, "Yeah.."

"Owwch…..that hurts!", he glared at his teacher.

It's quite amazing that the topic of Kenshin was never brought up so much. He has been gone for about two months and a half, eventhough he does send a letter or two to inform them of how he was going, but Kaoru hasn't showed the signs of breaking apart, and for that Yahiko feels relieved.

And then something struck him "Does she fall for some guy at her new workplace?", he thought, suddenly worried.

Hence the earlier question…he was quite worried that reason was the exact reason that prompted his Sensei to work quite a lot these days. That sort of explains their better state of living and better maintenance of the house compared with that when Kenshin and Sano were there.

Sano…that Rooster…he headed to ..where? China? Mongolia? somewhere around there..._to try my luck there_, he jokingly said…_and to pay off his Akabeko's debt_, kaoru added…he only hoped that the silly Rooster doesn't gamble anymore and blew off all his money…

While he mopped the floor, all those thoughts came into his mind. Once he looked up to the front yard, Kaoru was already off to work.

_'Dang…maybe I can ask her later'_…with that, he prepared himself to go off to Akabeko.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I have fainted as I received your reviews, dear readers...thank you for your comments! to those who can't wait for some A/K, this chapter's for you all! With a particularly long chapter, it shouldn't be very far from the ending...I'm happy!

Disclaimer: Nobuhiro Watsuki has told me to assist Kaoru's learning in western cookery...not an easy task mind you...

**THWACK**! "Ouch...hey..I thought that bokken is only reserved for Yahiko! "

* * *

COTTON CANDY 6

* * *

Aoiya - late at night... 

**Knock..Knock..**

"Come in", Okina said as he busied himself with the sudden interest in Aoiya's financial figure...not that he wanted Aoshi to know he's hiding another one of his precious Geisha magazine, now, would he? He smugly smirked as he cleverly sandwiched the said magazine underneath the stack of accounting paperwork.

The shoji screen slid smoothly, albeit a slight creaking sound was heard as it slid, revealing the face of the ex-Okashira.  
Aoshi stood at the door, his expression cool as usual…"I'd like to take my leave first thing tomorrow morning, Okina. When I pass by Tokyo, I'll drop off what you want me to give to the Kamiya dojo..", he said as his eyes observed the whole office in one swift glance.

_Still as sharp as ever, this boy_...Okina noted proudly.

"All right Aoshi. Here's what I want you to take there", he handed a rather thick envelope.

Aoshi eyed him suspiciously..._.'Hmm...how would I know if he's sending proper stuff to the people at Kamiya dojo? From the look of it..it might even be some of those presposterous magazines...'_

Okina cut his train of thought abruptly, "Send my regards to the people in Kamiya dojo, especially to that blue-eyed beauty", he winked lecherously.

Aoshi had to roll his eyes. He straight away knew who Okina was referring to. Kamiya Kaoru was instantly portrayed right there and then_…What a lecherous old man…_

_He was becoming normal each day_, Okina noted, amusedly.

" I have left a note for Misao, the others... you could tell them if you want…", he continued.

_'Hmm...even leaving a note_'...Okina's face brightened.

Okina nodded in understanding. "Let us know if you need anything else", he replied.

Aoshi bowed down curtly as he took with him the envelope from Okina. _Tomorrow, tomorrow he'll be tasting freedom and re-discovering himself in process.  
_

* * *

In Tokyo... 

Kaoru was busy preparing the lunch. She practiced when Yahiko's not home to cook what Jane had taught her. So far, it has been quite successful, she dares to say..she carefully lifted the pan's lid as her concoction simmered.

A nice smelling combination of spices wrapped her senses. She smiled triumphantly. She could cook, she could really cook! Ecstatic, she jumped up and down…

Almost everyday she's working at Sweet Treats and the gaijin couple were extremely kind to her. Now she could only think of them in family terms, just like Yahiko, Sano, Megumi and ..Kenshin….well..he is a family member too…no matter where he is now. We're the Kenshingumi and always will be.

She rewarded her success in making Western potato soup with a stick of…why, cotton candy, of course!

She was determined to show off her cooking to Yahiko and with her built up confidence, she dared him to even invite Tsubame, Tae and Doctor Genzai too for dinner tonight. Well, she had to do some sort of a dare with him. She dared him this morning before he left for work to invite those people for dinner. If people got sick eating her food, then she'll get Akabeko to cater for dinner everyday, she said. She pouted inwardly as she recalled Yahiko's scoff.

"Che, you don't even have to cook, Busu, whatta silly dare...I'm in though...", he grinned widely. He earned some more bumps today..Well...things are always done as normal at Kamiya's household, and today was no different.

But, this time she had to succeed… Megumi is still in Aizu to finish her two year practice in the Aizu clinic before she'd be back to help out Dr. Genzai once more, as the old doctor was going to retire very soon and the clinic would need to be taken over by younger doctors...and Megumi was more than capable of taking care of it single-handedly.

So.. Kaoru couldn't invite her to tonight's dinner.. Perhaps later, Kitsune would actually display a stunned expression on her face for a change, not only giving her teasing remarks her all the time..She grinned happily as she thought of Megumi's face expression.

She was on her way to the market to get a few more items on her shopping list, and brought with her a big pinch of her beloved cotton candy to savour on the way, when she bumped into something solid, right in front of the dojo's entrance. "Oof…", she winced as her body swayed off balance.

A strong pair of hands steadied her. She looked up to find, a pair of clear blue eyes with a tinge of aqua green looking back at her. Those ice-coloured eyes…could only belong to...

_Shinomori!_

"A…Shinomori-san", she swallowed her surprise. It's not everyday she meets up with an ice-block…a handsome one at that….Kaoru frowned at her own thoughts. _'Eh? he's in tokyo?'_

"Afternoon Kamiya..", he voiced out..

Kaoru almost fainted. He could talk! Not just his usual curt nod or "aa.." replies!

Aoshi almost smirked at seeing Kamiya's eyes went wide in surprise. Somehow, Kamiya and Misao have got a very few similarities…one of them being the inability to hide their feelings….it's all written on their faces…like now, for example..

"Ah…good, great…nn..What brings you to Tokyo, Shinomori-san?", she asked politely, trying to hide her curiousity none too subtly.

"I'm just on a short visit. How's Battousai?", he asked.

Kaoru was silent for about five seconds. She looked like she was in deep concentration. When she looked back at him, she smiled and said "Well…in his last letter, he said he's well". Unsure as to why, she was itching to have some cotton candy.

"Ah, he's..away?", he carefully asked. _Strange…_

She nodded " On a mission", she explained .

"I see…", he replied. _'Hmmm...'_

_'I can't believe I am having a normal conversation with Shinomori Aoshi_', Kaoru thought.

"Nn…if you don't mind, Shinomori-san, I was actually about to go to the market to get some ingredients…if you'd like to wait inside…", she offered somewhat reluctantly.._.'Is this wise, to let him wait inside, on his own?'_

"I'll accompany you", he replied, sensing her hesitant offer.

_What?_ She was surprised at hearing his answer.

"A..sure…let's go then", she pointed him to their direction and they walked off.

* * *

" That's all I need", she said, smiling in relief as she checked her list. Some fresh meat, green vegetables and an assortment of other ingredients were contained in a few bags, held in her hands. 

He quietly took the bags off her hands... _'I never noticed how small those hands actually are...to think she is practicing martial arts'... _He silently remarked.

Kaoru stayed quiet after she nodded her thanks. No big deal...Kenshin used to be holding her groceries for her... however, she could feel her cheeks were tinged with a pinkish blush. _'Well, he-llo..! he's not exactly Kenshin...this is Shinomori, holding my groceries!_' Baka Kaoru! She scolded herself for thinking that far, then busied herself into thinking about tonight's dinner. The menu was all set in her mind. Aoshi observed his azzure-eyed companion's numerous facial expressions quietly as they walked side by side along the busy road of Tokyo.

_'Kamiya Kaoru was quite odd_.._For one thing, Battousai's gone off on a mission, but this time she looks allright, even contented and happy'_, he'd say.  
_'What's with the change of attitude?_' He pondered.

They walked in a companionable silence for a while. But Kaoru suddenly remembered something "Oh, I've almost forgotten to ask, that was very rude of me...how is Okina, Misao and the others? She's not coming this time?", she asked casually…rather surprised that the energetic Itachi wasn't there this time. She was always around the stoic man for as long as Kaoru has known her..._'Maybe she's coming later…'_

"They're all well, thank you..Misao..no, she's not coming…", he said..rather oddly. "Oh, and Okina sent something for you too", he said, extracting an envelope with one of his hands, then handing it to her.

Kaoru looked at him for a second, rather confused, before nodding her thanks…then the next thing she knew, she blurted out..

"If you want to stay in Tokyo for a while, you could stay over at our place, Shinomori-san…I know it's not much, but it should be quite sufficient…", she generously offered, a smile never failed to grace her features..

Aoshi couldn't say why, but he thought that Kamiya's smile was quite enchanting "Thank you for the offer Kamiya-san…I'd appreciate it very much.." he replied.

"Great…then let's have dinner with us tonight too.." she cheerfully said.

_'Now, why do I always seem to do that? First was Kenshin, then Yahiko, then Sano...now, it's him...of all people...'_ her conscience promptly reminded her. Her eyebrows twitched slightly as she thought about that..

_

* * *

_

_'Hmm…he's been told countless of times by Misao that Kaoru couldn't cook to save herself..why does he think that it's not such a good idea to say 'yes' to her?'_

Before he could stop himself, He managed to nod his head. _'Darn..how could I say no...Thank you for your offer, Kamiya-san..but lodging without meal is fine by me...? huh.'._

Kaoru smirked. Great! One more person to show off her cooking to…

They have arrived in front of the Dojo. Its surrounding was still quiet around this time as that brat hasn't come back from a lunch shift at Akabeko. As if reading his mind, she suddenly said,

"It's rather quiet still..Yahiko isn't back yet until dinnertime usually...Megumi's still in Aizu, and Sanosuke..well...we don't exactly know where he is...", she chuckled in remembering Sano's word.

Aoshi closely observed her words._ 'She has refrained herself from mentioning Battousai at all...well..she did say that he's off to a mission before... ' _He switched back to his normal "Aa.." reply.

"Here's our guest room...", she showed the room to Aoshi as she led the way around the house.

"Please make yourself comfortable, Shinomori-san….The bath house is at the back, close to the washing area, if you need it.. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll just be in the kitchen..", she said to him, failing to notice that he still observed her.The room she gave him was adequate. It was small but neat, complete with a desk, wooden wardrobe, a desk and writing material, Aoshi looked around.

Then, she walked past him on her way to the kitchen, and he could smell something nice. _'Mm…sugar?_' He thought..and a rather subtle jasmine blossoms… nice….

_'Shall I go and have a look at Kamiya's attempt to cook?_' He thought after a while.

_'Better not…she looked rather excited about her cooking dinner tonight…I'll just be prepared for whatever she's cooking, I suppose…'_ he set down his small luggage on top of the table, let out a deep breath and sat on the tatami mat, resuming his meditation routine that has been neglected for a long while.

* * *

Kaoru was really loving every minute of her being in the kitchen, thanks to Jane, she was getting a bit confident on her cooking. Tonight she'll cook up a small feast, enough for eight people, including Dr. Genzai's grandchildren…. 

_O..kay…grilled beef ribs and gravy, potato soup, steamed vegetables, sauteed onions, potato puddings…_and her favorite of all so far is the skewered kabobs..with seafood. All right, so she was feeling rather generous, and spent a bit more than she usually does, but this is an important event! she reasoned. 'Oh, I'm just so in love with Western food!', she supressed her squeal of delight with all of her willpower.

Let's just hope everyone tonight enjoy her rendition of Western cooking.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: hmm...some more A/K?

Special thanks for Ardenilia, Hitoezakura, and Twilight Elf-maiden. The ending chapter for 1st part of this fic is dedicated for you! coming soon!

O yeah...Kaoru could cook! finally...wheew..

Disclaimer: Cotton candy anyone? nn...yea, Aoshi & Kaoru ain't mine, I'm just here to spoil their gums and teeth...heheheh

**

* * *

**

**COTTON CANDY VII**

* * *

Aoshi fell asleep in the guest room in Kamiya dojo after his short meditation routine. When he woke up, it was already quite late in the afternoon, although the sky's interesting hue of deep orange and dark blue indicated that the sun has not set just yet. He stretched his lean body languorously... He has never been one to take an afternoon nap ever…but this time, he just did…and he felt a lot fresher after it too.. 

He looked around for his host and found her in the dining room, fussing over the cutlery and table arrangement for tonight's dinner. Straight away he noticed one thing about her work._ Messy._ She tried to fold the napkins into a simple Western style fan, as taught by Jane, but it didn't seem to work out very well. He immediately offered his help as he noticed the cloudy outlook on her face.

"Let me help you a little.." he said, while at the same time swiftly folding the napkins into a rather elaborate swans instead of her pitiful fans. She pouted as she saw how easy it was for him to do such task. _"Darn...is he showing off or something? heck, he's even more capable than me in doing this stuff...There must be a connection between ex-warriors and house chores_...", she pondered inwardly, remembering how efficiently Kenshin worked around the house as well.

Kaoru went into the kitchen when Aoshi arranged the dining table. '_I never thought Shinomori was capable of all these things…keeping me company to the market…arranging plates for dinner table…and conversing rather normally too…' _she shook her head, trying to shake off the picture of Misao's heart throb from her mind.

_'Oh, by the way, where is Itachi?…how come she doesn't come with him this time around? I though she would come anytime now... _

_Unn..and come to think of it, Shinomori's response did sound kind of odd.. Is he hiding something?', _she questioned herself.

"Is there anything else? Let me get those..", a deep velvety voice shattered her thoughts as she sheepishly handed him the tea cups.When it was all done, and she ran out of tasks to give to him, Kaoru was getting fidgety again'. _Darn, what should I do now?' _A lightbulb appeared in her head.

_'Ah, yeah...bath! bath is a good idea...'_

She looked up only to find Shinomori glanced out at the window, looking rather..._contemplative_? Before she knew it, she has approached him and tapped his shoulder, and couldn't help but to blush as she informed him of the bath house and the hot water already prepared for him.

"Eer...Shinomori-san...arigatou, for your help...we don't have anything else to do anymore..now...I've prepared some hot water at the bath house.." she motioned her hand to the direction of the bath house.

She stopped at that, and then she realized the implication of her sentence..

_Aagh! What did I just say!_

Aoshi hid his smirk pretty well. He waited patiently for her to continue.

"Err...I mean, that is if you'd like to take a bath now.." she continued, frowning as her words still didn't come out right..

"Nn...you're very welcome to do so... " , she finished her sentence with what she hoped was a casual tone.

But his acute observation skills told him the underlying nervousness beneath the casual composure of hers.

He thought it was rather cute…

_Huh? Cute? Why did I even think of that?_

"Thank you, Kamiya-san.. I'll do that"

* * *

Aoshi leisurely took a hot bath in the bathhouse. He observed his surrounding... 

_hmm..traditional brick walls, shoji screens, creaking wooden floor, lush greeneries in the backyard, and a sturdy wooden gate.._

He quite like Kamiya dojo indeed…there is this air of serenity and comfort around this place, and it was quite well maintained, eventhough there were only Kamiya herself and the Myoujin kid. Come to think of it, there are somethings in this place that reminded him of Aoiya, his home. His analytical mind thought as it flew back to Kamiya, then switched to Misao.

He frowned,_ 'Kuso, Why do I start comparing them now?'  
_

He tried to shake off the images in his mind.

* * *

7.00 p.m. 

_'Tadaima_!', a loud voice penetrated the building.

_No answer.._

"Oy, Busu…we're here!" Yahiko loudly exclaimed once again,this time withthe usual rude remark.

Kaoru soon emerged from her room, looking more beautifully attired than her usual training clothes. She greeted the spiky haired boy with a saccharine sweet smile as she discreetly took out a wooden bokken from behind her.

Quickly taking in the fact that everyone was there, she only thwacked him once (very hard, though) on his head.

Yahiko winced and grumbled as the bump on his head swelled up quite badly. '_In one of these days, I swear I would wear one of thoseWestern helmets...',_ he vowed quietly.

Tsubame smiled shyly at her host, fussing over Yahiko swelling head, making the teenage boy blushed slightly due to her attention, all while Tae greeted her with a warm hug,and Dr. Genzai followed behind them, …alone..

"Eh, where is Ayame-chan and Suzume-chan, Doctor?" Kaoru asked politely. Shelooks radiant inher dark blue yukata with pretty silver sakura leaves embroidered on the hem of the sleeves.

"Oh, my sister came to visit me a few days ago, and the girls are in her care tonight", he replied, smiling.

Aoshi made an appearance soon after, clad in his crisp blue and white hakama. He nodded at the crowd.

_Kaoru had to force herself not to stare at her guest 'Damn...Itachi sure knows how to pick a guy to drool over'..._Kaoru mused, then blushed at her own musing.

A gasp from Yahiko was heard as soon as the black-haired guest made an appearance, which causes Kaoru to hastily explain about his arrival.

" Minna, Shinomori-san has some business he has to take care in Tokyo, so for the time being, he'll stay here...ne, Shinomori-san, you've met them before, right? She turned her head to face the tall guy.

"Hai..I've met them before", he answered simply, quietly admiring the beauty presented before him.

Yahiko eyed him rather suspiciously still, but he said nothing about it.

"Ne…Minna-san…let's have something to eat", she cordially motioned everyone to sit around the dinner table, quickly stirring the point of conversation elsewhere..

* * *

At Kaoru's request, each of them obedientlysitaround the wooden table in the middle of the traditional tatami floored room. 

Kaoru went into the kitchen to get the condiments.

Finding opportunity, Yahiko, in a hushed tone said to Tsubame "Here we go…eat the raw stuff, Tsubame…it has the least chance of being spoiled by Kaoru's cooking skill"

"Oh, better yet, look for condiments...they usually do the trick to cover burnt flavour...", he added.

Tsubame giggled at his comment.

Kaoru stepped into the dining room, but did nothing this time, eventhough she heard the blatant whispered insult thrown by her pupil, aside from giving him a glare that holds a promise of his doom later.

Actually, she felt it would be childish to thwack Yahiko's head now.

_Especially in front of Shinomori Aoshi._

Aoshi grinned inwardly…realizing the girl's holding her temper in control..

* * *

The table was decorated simply with freshly picked flowers, but it looked quite nicely contrasted with the plain coloured earthenware and Kaoru's cooking that night. Yahiko and everyone else went wide-eyed as they observe Kaoru's cooking. 

_Western food? Is she nuts?_ Yahiko thought…_she can't even cook Miso soup, and now she's cooking…Western food?_

_…but they look deceptively nice….and the smell…not too bad too…_

They swallowed their fear of food poisoning and each took a fairly small portion of what Kaoru offered on the dinner table.

Kaoru just sat still with her bowl in front of her, herslender frametensed as she waited for the guests to try her cooking. She held her breath as Tsubame took a bite of a teeny tiny piece of beef ribs nervously.

"A…O..oishii..", Tsubame said innocently, chewing on the tender beef ribs that Kaoru has put considerable amount of time to perfect.

Yahiko's eyes bulged hearing her remark. _'Hontou? Did she put something in it to make it nice?'_, he eyed the food in front of him with renewed feeling of suspicion.

Tae chose to try the soup.. Perhaps it won't be_ that_ bad...It was light in texture but quite hearty in taste...She loved it right away. "Kaoru-chan…this is delicious", she said, tucking yet another spoonful of the soup into her mouth. Now this is different from her normal home-cooked food.

Yahiko gulped. _'Two positive response...from Busu's cooking? is this some cruel joke?'  
_

Yahiko only wanted the steamed vegetables, as he thought, as bad as Kaoru was at cooking, steamed vegetable was quite hard to ruin…He took a piece of long bean and carrot…with brown coloured sauce… '_Hmm...where are the condiments?_ ', he eyed the table, ready to grab some sauce as his chopstick met his lips.

It tasted…."….Umai!" he exclaimed unexpectedly. The vegetables were actually nicely cooked, not raw and crunchy or too soft. He proceeded to eat everything else on the table with gusto. And without condiments too.

Dr. Genzai complimented the beef as well and scoffed everything on his plate until nothing was left, literally.

Kaoru's tense expression was actually becoming more smug by the second. '_Thank you, Jane!' _Her gaze was now directed to the crystal-eyedguest who ate quietly. _'Hmm…this is quite nice_', he thought, relishing the flavor of spices that she used for cooking. _What Misao said was obviously incorrect...Kamiya surelyknows a thing or two about cooking.._

Kaoru nervously waited for his comment. She even fidgeted a little.

After a lifetime of waiting...

"Kamiya-san, this is delicious.." he said sincerely as his crystal orbs met her deep blue ones.

Kaoru felt her heart swelled in joy and pride. She almost burst into tears as she displayed the biggest slice of smile on her face, as wide of a grin as she could muster. She proceeded to eat from her own bowl with satisfaction.

Tonight before sleep, she'd reward herself with a bit more cotton candy then, she made a mental note.

* * *

As her guests bid their goodbye one by one, and Yahiko went out to walk the guests home,she was once again being offered some help from the ex Okashira of Oniwabanshuu. He helped her washing the dishes, and after Yahiko returned and retired to bed, soon he bid her goodnight. Kaoru sighed and went into her room, making her way straight to her wardrobe shelves and taking out a big piece of pink cotton candy that Jim supplied for her on a daily basis. As she was about to unwrap the plastic, she suddenly felt like getting a bit of fresh air, so she stepped out of her room, quietly tip-toeing past Yahiko's room. 

_'O yeah...I've won that dare with Yahiko...don't think that I've forgotten that...now he has to submit to everything I say...',_ she smirked evilly thinking about the previous dare that her pupil so confidently agreed to take up.

She didn't need to worry about Aoshi since his room is on the other side of hers and Yahiko's. Sheapproachedtheporch and sat down on the wooden stairs, ready to pounce on her beloved cotton candy, but heard a familiar voice.

"Can't sleep, Kamiya?", a male voice questioned.

Kaoru felt her heart leapt out of its socket…and promptly loosened her grip on the cotton candy stick, sending it plumetting to the ground. Her reflexes were immobile, as she simply eyed her precious treat falling down in a slow motion.

_'Iyaa...my cotton candy!'_ her inner self screamed dramatically.

Aoshi was faster, and he leapt to catch it before it reached the ground.

"I believe this is yours", he remarked, handing the huge cotton candy back to her with a little smirk pasted on his face.

Kaoru blushed as she could see his smirk. '_Oh no...eating cotton candy in front of him…how embarassing'…_especially when she realized how huge the spun sweet really was.

_Oh well…too late…_

"Would you like some?" she cheerfully offered, her voice bellied her sudden nervousness for being at a close proximity with the tall Oniwaban ex-Okashira.

He twitched his eyebrows then, "..No thanks…I'm not into sweets so much", he declined.

Kaoru frowned, remembering something when she heard him said that.

"..This is not just some kind of sweets...it's a stress-relieving sweet", she winked at him mischievously.

"Eh?" he asked, looking puzzled at hearing her explanation.

She scoffed, "You heard me, Shinomori-san...", she said levelly.

He looked down at the cotton candy in her hand, then looking back on her face.

_'How is it possible_? _She must be joking_'…. He eyed her skeptically..

"No…I'm serious..here, have a try", she said, knowing full well that he's doubting her._ 'Gee, I was like him before_'..she thought..

_It felt like a déjà vu_

His eyes narrowed at her, refusing her offer.

She was impatient at his skepticism.

She tried another tactic

... '_very well, you skeptic man...try this!'_

"Oh, Shinomori-san, won't you look at that!", she feigned a surprised look as she motioned her handtoward the direction of the night sky.

"Huh?" he followed her gaze, trying to figure out what she was getting at..

His mouth gaping open ever so slightly... only to be swiftly fed a pinch of the pink cotton candy by her. as she grinned naughtily.

He was so surprised that Kamiya Kaoru dared to use such a childish trick on him.

_'But you were tricked anyway, right'_…his conscience butted in to annoy him.

As soon as he clenched his teeth, he felt a soft trickle of sugary liquid melted in his mouth, and going down his throat, leaving a rather nice sweet after-taste…

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Gah...finally...this is longer than I expect it to be..heheh...anyway...I hope you enjoyed how this fic flows...crossing my fingers.. uh well...whatever you think, drop me a review or two...and suggest an alternative ending for me too...heheheh..Oh yeah...I'll think about a continuation, as one of the reviews has suggested ... a good idea, actually... but only if you guys like it so far... thank you for your wonderful reviews ( especially: Ardenilia, Valinor's Twilight, animequeen420, juliagulia1017, MEET.A.L.E.X, aisha89 and abubi-chan)

Disclaimer: Cotton candy's plot is mine at least...RK is Watsuki's still...my whole scheme of RK domination plan went down the drain..sobs..

* * *

**COTTON CANDY VIII  
**

* * *

He looked at Kamiya's face, now feigning innocence, taking a bit off her big lump of spun pink cotton and eating it leisurely, her eyes never leaving the heavens. 

"What a pretty starry night", she mumbled as she chewed on her candy contently.

He looked up once again…'_Well..when she mentioned it, yes…it was such a starry night tonight'…_

"What did you do that for?" he couldn't help but ask.

Kaoru had the grace to blush. She met his eyes in a renewed meek demeanor "I…I'm sorry..for doing that.."

"it's just that I want to let you know, that..it really could relieve stress…..nn…it looks like you could use some…" her sentence broke as uncertainty filled her mind. _'Baka, baka Kaoru'_…she grimaced.

"…"

"…Believe me…it worked for me", she gave a sheepish smile with quite a comely pinkish cheeks.

…._'It really suits her'_….He reflected, stunned at seeing her flushed expression..

"….Thank you", Aoshi replied. He was feeling uncomfortable, especially now that he could easily remember her soft, milky toned hand fed the sweet directly to his mouth, directly touching his lips…he groaned inwardly at the reminder.

_'What is it with me...she was just trying to help me_..._relieve stress!_' He shook his head slightly.

"Shinomori-san…I was just thinking….I'm sorry if it bothers you…but…is Misao-chan all right?" she softly enquired.

Looking rather dazed, he answered,. "Aa…yeah….she's just…" he stopped.

His face suddenly sported a far-away look.

Kaoru was concerned. _'What has happened to Itachi?' _"Here", she thoughtfully offered one more pinch, breaking his train of thoughts once again. He turned his head toward the girl, as she was going to shove the small portion of cotton candy into his hand instead, but suddenly, he snatched her hand and brought it straight to his lips. He took the small lump of cotton candy off her hand, his teeth accidentally grazing the skin of her fingers softly as the tip of his tongue laved at it.

Kaoru felt a jolt of electricity shocked her whole system through and through, as her eyes blinked in a mixture of surprise and shock She felt fine tremors went up and down her spine, purely coincidental, it was quite... indescribeable.. but...nice nevertheless...

"A..ah..Shinomori..-san..", she attempted to take her hand back. He held it still.

"She is going to be engaged and…married soon", he murmured softly against Kaoru's fingers, fanning them with his heated breath.She wanted to faint under that unintentional heavenly sensual onslaught. _Or was it intentional?_ It was rather nerve-wrecking..realizing that this Shinomori Aoshi was capable to heighten her awareness into such an acute level.

Kaoru was confused at her own reaction. A side of her wanted him to repeat his sensuallymurmured words, an expression of disbelief portrayed on her beautifully sculpted face,while another side of her just wanted to savor his gentle ministration to her fingers once again.

'_What? Am I crazy? He…needs some consolation.. not some crazy Tanuki..'…_

"Shi…shinomori-san…", she started.

"..She will be married off to Soujiro", he mumbled, this time, he pulled her hand toward him, sending her off balance into his embrace.

She froze. Her other hand holding a big piece of pink cotton candy, but the rest of her upper body was tightly embraced by…_Shinomori Aoshi?_

She breathed in deeply. Her face was right against the hard planes of his broad chest, and his head was resting atop of her head. _'Kami...if Itachi sees this...I swear she's gonna chop me into pieces...'_

_'Huh? Wait…Itachi is soon to be engaged? Married?'_

_'Soujiro? Seta Soujiro? the Smiley-face?'  
_

Her thoughts flew around in all directions, unable to focus as she breathed in a deep masculine scent of Shinomori Aoshi and her heart wasn't doing a particularly good job either by pounding at a very fast pace….She gulped nervously..

_He is troubled, help him, do something, baka Tanuki!_

"…." Still, nothing came out from her lips.

"I don't want to let anyone know…but .. I guess…I told you anyway", he murmured.

"Shi…shinomori-san.." she was going to ask him to let go of her so she could think more clearly, but all that spilled out of her mouth was merely a 'Shinomori-san', it sounded so dumb she wanted to kick herself.

"Ma…Matte….Shinomori-san..", she managed to utter, her breathing shallow as the guy embraced her a bit too tightly...

As if suddenly realizing his bold action, he let go of her body swiftly.

"Gomenasai", he abruptly apologized. '_What was I doing, hugging her?', _Aoshi was confused at his own action.

She shook her head in reply, her eyes promptly cast down onto the pebbled footpath as if she suddenly found pebbles were the most fascinating thing in the world to look at. '_Why am I missing the comfortable heat'? _She thought.

'_Think, brain!'_ She forced herself to think clearly.

Aoshi threw his gaze elsewhere. He was suddenly quiet once more.

* * *

They must've been sitting in an awkward silence for a while, when Kaoru decided to end it once and for all.

She willed herself to touch his shoulder very, very carefully. He looked at her, his gaze plundered into the very depth of her own azzure orbs.. "A…anou…you said…Misao-chan…ah…I'm sorry I asked…" she shamefully ended her sentence half way.

He sighed as he shot her a wry smile "That's all right…you will eventually know anyway…um…I'm…. I apologize…that was uncalled for…I ..Battousai will have my head if he knew.." he tried toshift the topic of theirconversation, but Kaoru didn't budge, nor did she say anything.

She just looked down, hiding her expression beneath her long raven tresses.

Aoshi was getting worried. "Kamiya-san, are you all right?"

No answer.

"Kamiya-san….", he willed himself to reach out and touch her chin, wanting to lift her face up. It was purely coincidental, but then he was surprised as he touched her chin, he felt droplets of warm moisture trickling down his hand.

"Kamiya…Kaoru-san…", he was in an awkward situation. Somehow he felt that he was the one who caused her to cry. His mentioning of Battousai would have something to do with this…he thought grimly.

She said nothing still, her back slightly hunched as she tried to halt her sobbing.

There was no viable option but to pull her once again into his embrace.

As he did so, all of her dams seemed to break loose.

"He…has left..stupid government, mission...atonement...", she uttered in a small squeak amidst her tears She cried out rather un-ladylike-ly on his chest, surprising both him and herself. Her back and shoulder rose up and down as she tried to hold her tears back. She was mortified to be crying on Shinomori's chest, _for goodness' sake!_

Aoshi understood right away. His usually dormant voice sounded sympathetic for a change "Don't hold back…cry as much as you want", he said as if he just read her mind. He tightened his hold on her, and let her pour out her misery onto his chest. '_Damned stupid Battousai'_…he shook his head in disbelief. _To think I was actually about to ask him for some tips on Rurouni-ing_...

Soon the muffled sobs died down into small sniffles, and she jerked her head as soon as she realized where she was. She was leaning to a wet piece of cloth…that was Shinomori's clothing.

"I…I'm…I'm sorry…Shinomori-san, I..made your shirt…wet…" she stuttered, her deep blue orbs were glittering amidst her unshed tears, her cheeks were rosy, her lips were a pair of tempting, pink and lush lips, and her breath smelled sweet like sugarcane and vanilla…Who says he only drank green tea?…

_She's so beautiful…so frail…yet so strong.._. Aoshi looked at her amusedly, ignoring her squeaks of apologies as she fussed over his wet shirt.

Kaoru realized that Shinomori didn't respond to her apologies, _'He must be very upset!', _she looked up only to find an enchanting pair of crystalline blue eyes looking intently at her. His expression undecipherable. '_What does he…'_

His face was getting closer to hers.

She didn't realize that she gawked at him, her lush pair of lips slightly ajar…

'_He's so close...too close...'…_her reflexes and senses were all rendered immobile in all of the sudden.

She closed her eyes, unable to return that piercing gaze he gave her…

Then she felt something sweet…

_So undeniably sweet…_

Her eyes flew open promptly only to watch his large hand feeding her a little piece of her long-forgotten pink cotton candy that she still gripped tightly in her left hand.

She sighed in relief… her body relaxed considerably. 'Ah, h_e just wanted to return the favour'_…

She closed her eyes again, tasting the sugar sweetness and the nice milky after taste …._Nice…very nice_….And a sensation of something soft, something even better than the initial sweetness of…..a mere cotton candy…she gasped '_Oh my goodness!' _

His lips were on hers, tasting hers, slowly and very very gently.

* * *

Nothing needed to be said..they both just sat there in silence.

Kaoru didn't dare to say anything just yet, fearing that whatever she said would come out sounding stupid.

What the heck, she was still unable to find her voice anyway...

Aoshi sat there..contemplating.. searching for an answer himself...' T_wo of the most unlikely pair to be found in such situation_...

_Me...and...her? I can't believe this!'  
_

They must've sat there for a long time, simply gazing at the night sky in silence...but the silence between them was quite bearable even if their situation was rather awkward to begin with...

_What shall we do now? Where do we go from here? What do I want?_

_...What do I want? _

He was deep in thought, trying to find the answers of the questions that popped out in his mind.

_I... don't know..._

_What do I really want? _

Oddly enough, the smile on Kamiya's face suddenly filled his mind completely.

_Well...I know one thing.._

_I want her smile..._

_Yeah...I want her to smile by my side..  
_...

Then, out of the blue, he spoke up..

"You're right…", he said softly. His hands reached out to her and were suddenly on her hair, stroking the long, gleaming tresses fondly. "Thanks, Kaoru..", he added almost absently.

"Huh?", she breathed out, still in a out-of-this-world, euphoria state of mind.

_'He called me Kaoru?'_

"Cotton candy is quite a stress-reliever", he added, flashing her with a genuine, heart-felt smile that melted her heart right there and then.

She returned his smile whole heartedly,

A burst of an incomprehensible surge of satisfaction and contentment surfaced from within them, consuming them whole.

They kissed once more, entwined in the sweet sugary flavour of cotton candy.

* * *

Part I finish here! - Tune in for the next part...or should I make the next part? don't you guys want to know what happen to Okina's letter? and Kenshin's whereabouts...and Yahiko? - author faints of exhaustion...xx! 


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